AMERICAN GOVERNMENT & LAW
”I Have a Dream”
Primary Source Analysis Sheet
1. What person or people gave this speech?
2. What date was the speech given?
3. Where was this speech made?
4. Who was the intended audience?
5. What was the purpose of this speech (ie: was it a campaign speech, a news report, an
interview, etc)?
6. How do you know this?
7. What is the tone or mood of this recording?
8. List three things in this speech that you think are important:
1.
2.
3.
9. What are two things in this sound recording that tells you about life in the United States at
this time?
1.
2.
10. What is a question that is left unanswered by this speech?
11. Because this primary source is a transcript of a speech, what information is missing if it
were a written letter or a written document?
12. What similarities do you see in the words or the intended content of the Declaration of
Independence and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech?
13. What differences can you identify in the words or the intended content of the Declaration of
Independence and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech?
14. What similarities and differences are there in the intended audiences of the Declaration of
Independence and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech?
15. What similarities and differences are there in the structure of the Declaration of
Independence and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech?
Adapted from a design developed by the Education Staff, National Archives and Records
Administration, Washington, DC 20408